Posts Tagged Aid
Cobus de Swardt on Transparency International and the fight against Corruption
Posted by sangus in Development, Interview, Podcast on 20 May, 2009
Cobus de Swardt is the Managing Director of Transparency International (TI) which is well known for producing the annual Corruption Perceptions Index which ranks 180 countries on a scale of 0 to 10 for their level of perceived corruption. As Cobus emphasises in the interview, this is only one part of the work of TI, the main impact of TI is in its many country-based ‘chapters’: small, grass-roots TI organisations which work for greater transparency and accountability in their host countries.
Africa has to find its own road to prosperity (FT opinion)
Posted by sangus in Development, Growth, Poverty on 11 May, 2009
(Thanks to Ben Hirons) With respect of Dambisa Moyo’s thoughts on Dead Aid here is another President of an African nation, this time, Paul Kagame of Rwanda making a case for leading Africa out of poverty by innovation rather than systemic ‘plans’, or ’strategies’. As Kagame says, Rwanda faces enormous challenges, both geographically, politically, historically, and in terms of education and health, and yet, the optimism he displays is both courageous and determined.
Read his comments here:
FT.com / Comment / Opinion - Africa has to find its own road to prosperity.
Note: Kagame’s target of a four-fold increase in per-capita incomes in ‘a generation’ (or around 20 years), requires a GDP/cap growth rate of 7%. Considering that Rwanda has a projected population growth rate of just under 3%, this will require a GDP growth rate of 10%. And there, if ever, is the African challenge.
Dambisa Moyo discusses Dead Aid on Norwegian TV
Posted by sangus in Development, Poverty on 4 May, 2009
Once again, a video on Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid perspective. Significantly, here, she begins by outlining her ideas with the TV presenter, and then is able to debate them with a member of the Norwegian Parliament who clearly sees eye to eye with Moyo on some of her criticisms of foreign aid, but doesn’t appear willing to turn off the tap immediately.
Peter Singer on the Ethics of Giving to the Very Poor
Peter Singer was recently interviewed by Kate O’Toole on Triple J’s current affairs program, Hack. In the interview and ensuing discussion, Singer raised some interesting points with one central theme: the rich world (that’s us) have a moral obligation to give a significant percentage of our incomes to the developing world. No ifs. No buts.
To begin with, Kate O’Toole describes a thought experiment that Singer introduced to motivate the ethical argument of his book, The Life You Can Save (he has a website of the same name). In short, the picture is this: imagine walking home one day from university with your bag over your shoulder, and you pass a local lake — you do this every day, except that this day you notice for the first time that there is a child who is stuck in the lake and is drowning not far from the edge. What should you do?
Have a think about it.
Read the rest of this entry »
Is Aid Killing Africa? - Foreign Correspondent - ABC
Posted by sangus in Development, Interview, Poverty on 24 March, 2009
Watch online
This Foreign Correspondent report brings the work of Dambisa Moyo, a Zambian-born economist who thinks that western Aid is creating long-term dependencies on outside help, stifling internal economic activity and achieving very little of what the aid organisations set out to do.
Via: UK - Is Aid Killing Africa? - Foreign Correspondent - ABC.